(TRENTON) – Assembly Budget Chairman Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson/Bergen) released the following statement in response to Wednesday’s U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings on marriage equality:
“This is a momentous victory not just for same-sex couples, but all Americans who believe that equality is not exclusive. DOMA allowed for the systematic discrimination of gay Americans who simply asked for the right to marry. This decision sends a clear message that intolerance has no place in our society, and that government has no business engaging in discriminatory policies.
“Now that the Supreme Court has ruled that DOMA is unconstitutional, it is time for New Jersey to follow the high court’s lead and make this basic civil right available to all state residents.
“I urge the governor and my Republican counterparts in the Legislature to reflect on the decision made by the Supreme Court, and reconsider their archaic stance to deny this constitutional right to same-sex couples who only ask for the same opportunity already given to other couples.”